Newbie with ? about seasoned wood

Hi guys, great sight from what i've read so far. Getting a wood stove for next winter to keep that oil truck out of my driveway. Super Storm Sandy left about a dozen trees uprooted behind my house and in front of my neighbors, all red and white oak. My question is, if I get it all split and stacked this winter will it be fine to burn next winter? My Father was always a stickler for letting wood season a minimum 2 years and we usually had 3-4 years worth split and stacked but I don't remember what he burned that 1st year he got the stove.
I currently also burn a Harmon Accentra insert that heats the open living room/eat-in kitchen area. Plan on throwing the stove in the family room to heat that and dining room plus hopefully get some heat down the hallway to bedrooms.

Looks like you have a great score at your hands but oak usually needs 2 years split and stacked to season properly, while other hardwoods (e. g. ash) will be good after a year. I would certainly go for it and get it cut and stacked ASAP. Oak is hard to beat once it is seasoned. After that maybe look for some other wood such as ash or pine that seasons more quickly.

I'm still blown away with your father seasoning wood for at least two years . . . not that this was a bad thing . . . just the opposite, it's quite good . . . just many of us learned from our own fathers and oftentimes the standard operating procedure was to cut in the Summer and burn in the Fall with "seasoned" wood being just a few months old . . . your father taught you well.

Welcome to the site 7mm......lots of great info right at your fingertips! I have found out that there are so many fellow woodburners to share your experiences and questions about anything related to wood burning.

I'm still blown away with your father seasoning wood for at least two years . . . not that this was a bad thing . . . just the opposite, it's quite good . . . just many of us learned from our own fathers and oftentimes the standard operating procedure was to cut in the Summer and burn in the Fall with "seasoned" wood being just a few months old . . . your father taught you well.

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Yeah taught me well. Told me splittin wood would help my baseball swing!! Funny once I moved out he burned his last 3-4 years worth of stacks and took out stove

Get all you can, Get the ash split & stacked first so it's ready for next burn season.
Then get all you have time & room for to get to the magical 3 years worth of wood.
Bet you still remember how, sounds like dad trained you well

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Thanks for the reply's fella's. My suspicions were correct. Thats ok, I do have some ash from 2 trees that fell at my mother's. Time to start scroung'n!!

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Many will say 2 years is okay for oak but not here! We want oak in the stack for a minimum of 3 years. It just takes that long to dry. The ash you can get will serve you better. But even with ash, we find 3 years to really be great. We've burned it in 2 years after burning some that was in the stack longer and did not like it! But, you can burn it okay in a year if needed.

Funny about fathers. Mine never showed me how to split wood except for making kindling and I did not like his way at all! Being the youngest in the family and having had polio, they tended to think I could not do things. I had barely started school when I started to split wood....with an axe or else the sledge and wedge. Nobody was around and I just figured that I should be able to do the work. Funny thing is, then all the wood work was left to me but I didn't mind. Also, my folks did the same as yours. When the kids all left, the wood stove went out the back door.

I am having good results with Red oak that was split and stacked in the spring and early summer of 2010. It was uncovered but getting full sun for almost 3 summers. I'd recommend finding some Black Locust now for next winter. Makes as good, if not better heat as the Oaks and will season in one year.